How does lorenz define aggression

Same and Other; Similarity and Difference 7. Cross-Pressures, Overpopulation, Anomie, and Conflict 8. Conflict as a Process and the Conflict Helix 9. Opposition, Determinism, Inevitability, and Conflict Intentional Humanism Other Volumes Vol. Aggression : 1 An unprovoked attack; the first attack in a quarrel; an assault, an inroad.

Thus the violent baboons in the London Zoo studied by Zuckerman were a group of individuals strange to each other and hence a disorganized society.

The undisturbed societies of baboons studied by Washburn and DeVore on the South African plains present an entirely different picture. Fighting is present but controlled by a dominance order, and is chiefly directed against predators, and one sees the baboons risking their lives for the benefit of a group. Thus a baboon, in common with many other mammals, has the capacity to develop destructive violence under conditions of social disorganization, whereas under the proper conditions of social organization we have the capacity to develop peaceful and cooperative behavior, to direct fighting into useful channels, and to act in a manner which might well be described as altruistic.

One wonders whether the same might not be said of man. As would be expected from our experience with aggression among primates, dominance as a form of aggression is most manifest in males. Among females dominance becomes a composed versus shy or bashful , poised, hypochondriac, and to a lesser extent, reserved, secretive, and independent minded temperament.

It is saddening when an author who has as much to teach us as does Lorenz goes beyond his depth. But On Aggression contains a promise of better things to come. She raised a brood every year and died in from being egg-bound. Her life history will be told in another book. If it confines itself to geese and their ways, it will probably teach us a good deal more about our human nature than On Aggression.

Login Access your Commentary account. Email address. Remember me. Forgot your password? Username or email. Reset password. Go back. Share via: More. You may also like. Destroying Comedy by David Zucker. Scroll Down For the Next Article. Share via. Facebook Messenger. Copy Link. Biology has a role in aggression.

Genetic influences play a major part in some aggression, as evidenced in animals specifically bred to exhibit such behavior. Studies of identical twins have frequently shown that if one twin exhibits aggressive behavior, the other often does so as well. Aggression may also have a neural basis; aggressive behavior has been produced in animals through electrical stimulation of parts of the brain.

Konrad Lorenz, an ethologist, proposed that aggression arises from instincts and that such instincts help members of a species maximize the use of food, space, and other resources. Other biologists have studied the aggression produced by exposing the nervous system to chemicals drugs, such as alcohol or hormones such as testosterone.